Episode 49 – Sara DeLuca • Dovetail Workwear | Reclaiming Workwear Silhouettes, Co-Design with Tradeswomen, and Brand Scaling

🎙️ In this episode of The Fashion Translator, Claire-Lys Bastien Wald sits down with Sara DeLuca, Co-Founder and Product Lead at Dovetail Workwear.

Building an apparel brand for tradeswomen and women who work with their hands requires far more than shrinking men’s workwear or adding pastel colorways. Sara shares how Dovetail co-develops durable, fit-focused utility pants, outerwear, and workwear with real women in the field—from landscapers and carpenters to construction professionals. The conversation explores bridging high-performance durability with street-ready utility, leveraging industrial materials like burnished melamine buttons and natural palettes, and maintaining core brand integrity while expanding into broader lifestyle markets.

From her early experience at Gap, Paper Denim & Cloth, Rogan, Loomstate, and Edun to leading product development for a fast-growing niche brand, Sara shares key lessons on managing inventory, navigating cash flow, and respecting the craftsmanship of the modern tradeswoman.

Guest: 👤 Sara DeLuca

🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarackcdeluca

Brand: Dovetail Workwear

🔗Website: https://dovetailworkwear.com/

📷 Instagram: @dovetailworkwear

🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/dovetailworkwear

✨ Connect with Claire Lys to explore how AI, systems, and product innovation can support apparel brands — or to be featured on The Fashion Translator: https://www.linkedin.com/in/claire-lys-bastien-wald/

🎧 Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@TheFashionTranslator

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